Sri Lanka is a country where presidents are sworn in and governments are sacked at astrologically auspicious times. With opinion polls still in their infancy in Sri Lanka, fortune-tellers are in high demand ahead of elections. A former Sri Lankan president was once reported to have commissioned charmers from the southern Indian state of Kerala to help him ward off an impeachment attempt.

The politically influential here traditionally keep family astrologers, much like family doctors, to advise on choosing a marriage partner, starting a business or even before deciding when to start a foreign visit. Allegations of corruption have rocked the astrology world with accusations that the planetary positions have been rigged by the political astrologers.